In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits and nuts, we, the inventors, typically hybridize a large number of nectarine, peach, plum, apricot, cherry, and almond seedlings each year. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of almond tree, which has been denominated varietally as "Savana". The present variety was selected in 1982 by use in a cultivated area of our experimental orchard at Bradford Farms near Le Grand, Calif., in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). This hybrid seedling resulted from using Nonpareil Almond (unpatented) as the selected seed parent and an unnamed late blooming almond seedling as the selected pollen parent. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of almond tree, we asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting, and such reproduction of plant and nut characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects.
The tree of the present variety is most similar to that of its seed parent, the Nonpareil, by being moderately vigorous and spreading, but is very distinguished therefrom by blooming two weeks later. The nuts produced by the present variety are also similar to the Nonpareil nuts by having kernels that are large in size, light in color, and flat in shape, but are distinguished therefrom by maturing two weeks later, by having a tightly closed inner shell to protect the kernels from insects, and by having thin hulls that are easily removed from the inshell nuts and/or kernels by mechanical airlegs during processing.
In comparison to the Texas Almond (unpatented) variety, the blooming period of the present variety is one week later but the harvest period is two weeks earlier.